Glendale bet big on professional sports in the last 15 years, spending millions of dollars on a hockey arena for the Arizona Coyotes and investing heavily in a spring training ballpark for the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers. The city has found stronger financial footing since then and its bond rating has improved markedly, but not without having to raise taxes, trim 25 percent of the municipal workforce, cut back on paving projects, and reduce hours at municipal swimming pools and libraries. To fiscal conservatives, Glendale serves as a cautionary tale for suburban cities across the United States that want to throw public money at professional sports projects. The agricultural influence is visible to people driving to games when they pass tractors and farm equipment in nearby fields. The city helped pay for the Coyotes' arena with $167 million in bonds in 2003, and as the hockey team's finances began to fade during the recession, Glendale went all-in to keep the team in Arizona. The city dished out $50 million earlier this decade to keep the team and continues to make annual payments toward the arena, but the money it is getting in return has not met expectations. The effort to build a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings became embroiled in controversy over a financial commitment by the state that opponents said was excessive.
Comment on Super Bowl host city still reeling over sports deals
By JOSH HOFFNER and JACQUES BILLEAUD, Associated Press, San Antonio Express-News: World
Mon, 01/26/2015 - 1:55am
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